Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Hearst Television Teams With Award Winning Journalist Soledad O'Brien For Weekly Political Magazine "Matter of Fact"

Hearst Television Teams With Award Winning Journalist Soledad O'Brien For Weekly Political Magazine "Matter of Fact"

Distributed by SONY Pictures Television, "Matter of Fact" Adds Los Angeles, Rounding Out Top-20 Markets; Now Reaches 75% of U.S.

O'Brien's Starfish Media Group Launches Production Relationship with Hearst Television

NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hearst Television has partnered with journalist and producer Soledad O'Brien for its acclaimed political magazine program, "Matter of Fact." The groundbreaking syndicated show, now a "firm go" for a second season, will expand on its commitment to engage in a more inclusive dialogue with decision makers from community leaders to heads of state who are shaping the new American political landscape.

Following a successful first season initiated with its November 2015 launch, the weekly half-hour program, distributed by Sony Pictures Television and previously hosted by Fernando Espuelas, has received firm commitments for a second season on the Hearst television stations as well as stations owned by CBS, Meredith, Nexstar, E.W. Scripps, Tegna and Tribune. Among the new stations to carry "Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien" are FOX-owned stations in Los Angeles and Charlotte, extending the show's reach to 75% of the country. The re-launched program with O'Brien as host will premiere September 10(th).

O'Brien, an Emmy and Peabody Award winning journalist, will join the Hearst Television team as anchor & producer of "Matter of Fact With Soledad O'Brien," and adds this program to her multi-platform content model.

Hearst Television also will begin co-producing national specials in a new relationship with O'Brien's production studio, Starfish Media Group.

"Matter of Fact is connecting with viewers of all generations with its thoughtful, in-depth, probing and conversational discourse of the issues important to a cross-section of Americans," said Emerson Coleman, vice president, programming, at Hearst Television. "The show has blazed a trail with a distinctive format offering a successful blend of high-profile political guests and fresh faces from the worlds of academia, community service, journalism, science and other fields."

"Soledad is one of the most recognizable and accomplished journalists in television today," said Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst Television's president. "Her breadth of experience in global, political and investigative journalism will be invaluable as we expand the program's reach."

"I'm excited to partner with Hearst and the team at 'Matter of Fact' to expand the conversation around the issues that truly matter with those who are most directly able to impact our everyday lives," O'Brien said. "It's been a year of loudness and emotion over the most sensitive of issues, and sometimes the truly crucial conversation is drowned amid the noise of the traditional news cycle. The format of a weekly political magazine show will help us look at the issues with an added context and perspective of the discourse. It's a new media landscape, and through the creativity of Hearst, I'm also looking forward to a new distribution strategy that will allow the stories of the under-voiced to reach more of the American people where they are, through an effective network of stations and a unique prism."

"Matter of Fact" is produced at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Rita Hagen Aleman serves as Executive Producer, working with Senior Producer Sheila Jaskot. Aleman, a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle, has earned multiple Emmy awards and a USC Walter Cronkite Award for her work producing programming including a highly rated primetime newsmagazine show.

The full list of stations and show times, as well as other information and video clips, can be found at the program's website, www.MatterofFact.tv. Twitter followers can connect with the show via @matteroffacttv.

About Soledad O'Brien
Soledad O'Brien is an award-winning producer, journalist, documentarian, and news anchor. She is CEO of Starfish Media Group, a multi-platform media production and distribution company. O'Brien has produced non-scripted programming, several documentaries and presented live events, concert specials, and award shows on numerous platforms, including CNN, Nat Geo, HBO, NBC, MSNBC, A&E networks, and Lifetime. She reports for "HBO RealSports with Bryant Gumbel," the PBS NewsHour, and WebMD. She is the author of two critically acclaimed books and winner of multiple Emmy awards, the George Foster Peabody Award and the Alfred I. DuPont Award. Follow her on Twitter: @soledadobrien

About Starfish Media Group (SMG)
Starfish Media Group is an integrated media production company and distributor, dedicated to uncovering and producing empowering stories about a diversity of communities and people. Founded by award-winning journalist and multifaceted broadcaster Soledad O'Brien in 2013, SMG produces series, documentaries, digital content, and live events. Starfish continues to produce the highly acclaimed "Black in America" and "Latino in America" series, originated by O'Brien when she was an anchor at CNN. SMG has produced content for the PBS NewsHour, NBC, CNN, WebMD, Al Jazeera, and others.

About Hearst Television
Hearst Television owns and operates local television and radio stations serving 26 media markets across 39 states reaching over 21 million U.S. television households. Through its partnership with nearly all of the major networks, Hearst Television distributes national content over nearly 70 video channels including programming from ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, MY Net, MeTV, This TV, Estrella and more. Hearst Television is recognized as one of the industry's premier companies, and has been honored with numerous awards for distinguished journalism, industry innovation, and community service. Hearst Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst. The Company's Web address is www.hearsttelevision.com.